Bullet With a Name On It
by TomMaier
Summary: During a seemingly normal burglary, Raven gets a gun pulled on her. What will happen? Read to find out.


**Bullet With A Name On It**

The door opened as the disgruntled Titan entered the bedroom.

_I should have done something!_

Pacing back and forth in the dark room, the hard steps could be heard clearly.

_I saw the guy, but I just froze up instead of doing something!_

The pacing continued as the Titan's hands held a firm grip around their wrists behind their back.

_And now...my best friend..._

Walking over to the mirror, the Titan's breath grew ragged and angry. Releasing an uncharacteristic primal scream, they struck the mirror with a closed fist.

"RRRAAAHHH!"

**TSH!**

Panting heavily, Raven looked down at her bloodied fist, examining the damage she'd done. A few moments passed and she just continued to watch the blood flow freely. There was a light knock on the door, and it opened slowly, revealing a worried Starfire.

"Raven? Are you alright? I heard a scream and-" a loud gasp filled the room and Starfire walked in and saw the shards of glass scattered across the floor, shimmering in the light flowing through the open door. Starfire's hand covered her mouth at the sight of Raven's hand. She stood in shock, waiting for any kind of response from Raven.

"It's my fault, Star..." Raven began opening and closing her fist, feeling the pain.

"No, Raven, it's not" Starfire said, as she took a step closer to her friend, but was immedaitely haulted by her outburst.

"YES IT IS! I saw him pull the gun out, and I just sat there, like a scared little kid! If I had done something, he wouldn't have had to..." she trailed off, replaying the scene in her mind. Starfire walked to her friend, placing a hand on her shoulder.

"Raven, this was not your fault..." Raven's eyes locked onto the floor. "This is nobody's fault besides the man with the gun. He pulled the trigger, you did not." She put a finger under her chin, turning her head to lock eyes with her. "It's not your fault he was...injured. Understand?" Looking away, Raven nodded slowly.

"I...understand..." Raven's lip quivered slightly, a single tear streaking down her cheek. She took a deep breath, attempting to regain her composure, until she felt herself being pulled into a gentle hug, unlike the ones Starfire usually gives. It was then that she broke down.

-Earlier-

The Titans were in their usual positions, Robin sitting at the table in the kitchen, sipping on a cup of coffee. Starfire, enjoying washing the dishes. Beastboy and Cyborg playing Gamestation. And Raven, sitting on the opposite end of the couch from them, reading a book.

"You're going down, Tin Man!" the green Titan shouted. Cyborg sighed.

"Dude, every time you say that, you always scream. How many times do I have to tell you? I'M SITTING RIGHT HERE!" he shouted.

"Geez, no need to shout..." Beastboy said to him. A soft laugh was heard from the other side of the couch. Both Titans looked to Raven, who was sporting a small smile. Very small. "Did...did you just laugh? At something _I _said?" Her face grew serious again.

"I appreciate wit. It's a refreshing change from your usual jokes and humor" she stated evenly.

"Ha sweet! Dude, Rae totally thinks I'm funny!" Beastboy shouted animatedly.

"I do not think _you're_ funny, I think _that_ was funny" she said, pulling her book back up to her face. "And don't call me Rae..." she added.

"Pff...admit it, mamma, you think I'm hilarious..." he argued, waving his eyebrows. Raven's book snapped closed. While she and hom had grown closer lately, he'd grown the habit of (seemingly) meaningless flirtation. She normally didn't mind, unless they were around others. She opened her mouth to say something, but was interrupted by the alarm. Robin and Starfire dashed into the main area, Robin pulling up the alert screen.

"Alright, Titans. Jump City Bank is being robbed. It seems to be just a few thugs. Nothing much to worry about. Titans, Go!" The Titans ran towards the large window of the Ops room, ready to test the newest upgrade to the building. Cyborg hit a button on his arm, and the window slid to the side, making leaving the tower much more time-efficient. Robin placed a helmet onto his head and leaped into the air, his cape adapting into a glider of sorts. Beastboy transformed into a pteranodon, grabbing onto Cyborg and taking off. Raven and Starfire took to the skies in their usual manner.

"Alright team, There's seven thugs and five of us. We're going to need to split up. Me and Star'll take three of them, Cyborg, you take two, Beastboy and Raven, you take the other two. Any questions?" Robin asked, talking through a microphone in his helmet. Cyborg grinned mischievously.

"Yeah, just one. Why are you and Star always on a team?" he asked, pretending to he hurt. "Sometimes I can't help but feel you like her more than me..." he said, sniffling. Starfire giggled. Beastboy made as much of a laughing sound as he could in his current state. Even Raven smirked while rolling her eyes. Robin grew very flustered.

"No questions? Good. Let's move in!" he shouted, lowering himself more towards the ground. The rest of the team followed suit. It took a few minutes to actually reach the back, which were spent in silence.

As they arrived to the scene, the thugs were loading the stolen goods into the back of a large truck. Startled, the men took on fighting stances, as did the Titans.

"Give up! We don't want to have to hurt anybody!" Robin shouted. The thugs looked to one another before laughing intently.

"What are a bunch of kids going to do to us?" Their leader asked. A sly smile spread across Robin's lips. He was a large man, standing around seven feet tall, and very well built.

"I was hoping you might ask. Titans, Go!"

"Men, split up!" the leader shouted. He and another man ran around a corner, Beastboy and Raven Hot on their tails. Robin and Starfire followed the three on the left into a warehouse across the street. Cyborg stayed where he was to fight the two stragglers left behind.

Transforming into a raptor, Beastboy leapt towards the thug, but was quickly knocked back by a bo staff the man wielded. Beastboy didn't hold up, and kept on fighting. Raven flew towards the leader, grabbing a street sign with her powers, tossing it in the leader's direction.

The leader, who was larger than most men, grabbed the sign fron the air, and tossed it back at Raven. Her eyes widened as the sign came closer. Quickly, she ducked, narrowly avoiding the on-coming projectile. She turned back to the man who only smiled in response. He began walking towards her.

"Come on, girlie. You can do better than that!" He taunted. She looked around to see the other Titans fighting their chosen targets. Quickly, she locked eyes with Beastboy, who was soon drawn back into his own fight. Narrowing her eyes, she grabbed a mailbox and repeated the action. He simply tossed it aside as though it were a paper weight. With each step he took, his smile seemed to grow more sadistic. "Now, I expected a bit more of the all-powerful _Raven_ of the Teen Titans" he sneered. She glared at him.

"Believe me, I'm just warming up" she said coldly. Concentrating, she lifted a car and tossed it his way. With cat-like agility, he dodged the vehicle. Almost faster than she could respond, he pulled a parking meter from the ground and threw it her way. With barely enough time to respond, the meter caught her in the chest. She was knocked from the air and slammed into a nearby alley. She groaned in pain, holding her aching head in her hand. She looked around with foggy vision, which began to clear as the man talked.

"Now with the reputation you've built up around here, I expected this to be a little harder" he said with a smug grin. She could now see the man clearly, standing about fifteen feet from her.

"What's so sp-special about me?" she asked as pain shot through her body.

"Well, sure, the bird's good with fighting, the robot's got weapons, and that smokin' alien chick's got lazer beams, but you and the green fella, well, if anyone was able to take one of you down, they'd be legends" he told her. She gave him a puzzled look. "The green guy...he's got some kind of monster inside him, ya? Well, most of the baddies runnin' around here are scared of him. So, slay the monster, become the king, ya? And you, with your powers, pose more of a threat to us villains than I think you realize. And as I said, taking you down would make me a legend." Raven's eyes widened in understanding. She closed her eyes and began to chant her mantra.

"Azarath, Metzion, Zinth-"

**Click**

Raven opened her eyes and was greeted with the barrel of a gun. Her eyes widened, disbelief showing over her face. The Titans had faced many criminals, but none (aside from Slade, Trigon, and the Brotherhood) had _actually_ showed intent to kill.

"I wouldn't do that, girlie. Look, it's nothing personal, just business."

-break-

Beastboy swung his trunk, knocking his opponent into a wall. Changing into a tiger, he made to leap towards him again, when a certain scent struck him.

_Fear_ he though to himself. _Fear and...Raven? Since when is Raven..._ The realization struck him hard and fast. _Raven's in a load of danger_ he thought. Abandoning his crook, he followed the scent a few around the corner into an alleyway, where he saw the large man holding a gun towards Raven. He growled loudly.

-break back-

Hearing a low growl the other man didn't seem to hear, she looked to see a green tiger at the alley's entrance. She smiled slightly. Her smile slowly disappeared as she saw the form begin to grow and transform. She began to fear the worst as she saw what was happening. The sounds of bones popping and shifting place drew the attention of the thug. By the time he'd turned, the figure was gone. Shrugging off the sounds, he turned back and pointed the gun towards Raven, who was still frozen in place. His finger wrapped around the trigger, and just as he was about to pull, a large creature dropped down in front of Raven guarding her. Raven's heart dropped as she saw the back of the all-to-well-known Beast. The large being roared defiantly at the man with the gun. The man's lip curled in annoyance.

"Move, beast. I'm not here for you." The creature huffed in response. "Fine, you wanna play hardball, ya? Well, good. Nothing wrong with taking out two birds with one stone" he said, raising the gun towards the Beast, who growled defensively. "Adeau."

**BANG!**

The gun was fired straight into the Beast's chest, who continued to stand as if nothing happened. The man's eyes spread wide open. The Beast looked down at it's chest. Seeing the blood pour out angered it and it began to growl roughly.

**BANG!**

Another shot was fired, And the Beast roared again. Stepping towards the man, who began to back away, the Beast snarled loudly while baring his teeth.

**BANG BANG BANG!**

Recoiling slightly from the shots, the large creature was slowed down, but still kept walking towards the man. After a few steps, it was no longer able to walk, the effects of the five bullets now catching up. The man looked down at his revolver, noticing that one chamber still held a bullet. With a smile, taking note of the large animal's condition, he aimed the gun up once again, locking eyes with it. The two stared for a moment, silence throughout the alley besides the breathing of the Beast. The Beast's lip began to curl back into a snarl, when it let loose a loud and powerful roar, which shook Raven from her shocked state. Standing up, she began to panic slightly.

"Azarath, Metrion, Zinth-"

**BANG!**

The Beast hit the ground, it's roar cut short by the bullet.

"NO!" Raven shouted. She ran up to the Beast, who'd begun changing back into Beastboy. The man began laughing. She kneeled down, clutching his body in her held her fingers onto his neck, checking for a pulse. Luckily, she found one. She looked up to see the man reloading his gun.

"Phew! For a second, there, I didn't think I'd get him" he said. Satisfied with his loading job, he twirled the cylinder." Raven stood up, eyes glowing a blood-red. She raised her hands in silence. "Now it's your tur-" the man froze. A purple aura surrounded his and he dropped the gun. He began to float a foot or so off of the ground. And with nothing more than a few grunts and moans, he began to curl into the fetal position. The continued until a sickening crack was heard, and then, he hit the ground, never to get up again. (A/N:For those of you who've played the game, think of Raven's Soul Crush move in Injustice: Gods Among Us)

Raven's eyes changed back to their regular form as she went back to tend to Beastboy. Kneeling down beside him, she held his body once more. She ripped off what was left of the top of his torn uniform and examined the holes. The felt her lip tremble. Beastboy is, as much as she hates to admit it, her best friend. The incident with the Doom Patrol brought them closer together. finding out his real name actually sparked an interest of Beastboy more as a _person_ than as a teammate, and they began to bond more. Of course, with a closer relationship, certain _feelings_ are sure to arise. She lifted a hand to his chest, and it began to glow an off-white color. A few moments later, his breath weakly returned.

"Beastboy? BEASTBOY!?" she felt the tears welling up in her eyes. "Come on, Beastboy, say something!" She looked at him, waiting for a response, but was only greeted by raspy breathing. She pulled him into a hug. "Come on, Gar, you have to be okay!" She pulled out her communicator and dialed for Cyborg. A few seconds later, his face appeared on the screen.

"Hey there, Rae. We're just tying these guys up and we'll be right over. How are you guys doing?" he asked. She looked into the camera, and a tear dripped down her face. Cyborg's face softened. "Rae?" She was silent for a moment, unable to speak.

"...Titan down..."

-break-

The doors to the med-bay slammed open as Cyborg made his way into the room, carrying an unconcious Beastboy in his arms.

"Robin, I need you to ge a set of clean sheets on the bed" he barked out. Robin nodded and rushed off. "Star, I need the heart rate monitor" he told her. She flew across the room and grabbed it. "Raven, I need you to help me get him ready for surgery. These bullets _have_ to come out." There was no response. Cyborg turned to see Raven staring blankly at the floor. "Raven!" he shouted, grabbing her attention. She looked up to him with a blank expression. "Help me get him ready for surgery!" he shouted. She nodded, grabbing the alcohol pads and medical equipment. Robin came back in, laying out fresh sheets across the surgical table. Cyborg gently placed Beastboy down onto it. "Strap down his arms and legs and them I need you all out of here. This is going to be a lot of work" he said. Raven pulled the straps over his right arm and leg, while Cyborg did the left. " Good, now I need you guys gone."

"Cyborg I want to stay" Raven said quietly.

"Raven, no. I need you all out of here."

"But it's my fault...I have to make sure..." she said, looking to the floor.

"No. I need absolute concentration."

"But-"

"Raven, we do NOT have time for this. Out now!" he shouted.

Nobody took his harsh tone to heart. They remember the conversation held after the med-bay's construction where Cyborg told them "In dire situations, there is no time for 'Would you please' and 'If you don't mind'." As the Titans made their way out the door, Raven looked back for a moment, frozen at the sight before her. She felt a hand grab onto her shoulder and she knew she had to go. Shaking the hand off, she teleported herself outside of her room, bringing us back to the beginning of the story.

-End Flashback-

Raven stayed in the embrace for what felt like hours, but was actually only twenty minutes. A soft knock came to the door. It opened to reveal Cyborg standing in the hallway.

"I managed to locate and remove the bullets and any shrapnel from him. His condition is stable, but he's out. Cold. I'm not sure how long it could take him to come around. It could be an hour, or a week." He looked to the floor. "I don't understand. Why a gun? Nobody carries guns around here..." Raven looked up to him.

"I know why..." Cyborg looked at her with a curious expression. "The guy said...that me and him are big targets for the bad guys around here. Dr. Light must have spread the word in my...episode that day, and Adonis must have done the same. He said that whoever took one of us down would be legendary around here. It doesn't make sense to me... but that's why he did it." she told him.

Cyborg took a deep breath.

"I'll never understand villain's logic..." Raven looked up to Cyborg, tears in her eyes.

"Are you sure...he'll be okay?" she asked. "I feel like it was my fault. I just watched." Cyborg put a hand on her shoulder.

"Rave, he'll be okay. He just has to get better is all." Raven nodded slowly.

"Guys...can I just...have some time? Alone?" she asked. Cyborg nodded, leaving the room. Starfire put a hand on her shoulder. Raven turned to face the alien, who had a small smile on her face.

"You really care about him, yes?" she asked.

"Of coarse I do, Star. He's my friend" Raven said. Starfire's small smile turned into a knowing smirk.

"Now, Raven. You know good and well that is not what I meant." Raven's eyes widened, a faint blush coming to her cheeks. "You care about him how Robin and I care about each other, yes?" Raven's hood made it up over her head with the help of her powers.

"So, it's that obvious?" she asked shyly. Starfire shook her head, her long hair bouncing about.

"Only to those paying enough attention" she said. Floating slightly off of the floor, she made her way through the door. "Goodnight, Raven."

"...'night, Star."

The door closed, once again enveloping the room in darkness. Raven let out a large sigh, making her way to her bed. She sat down heavily. She folded her hands in her lap, locking her gaze onto them.

"Why...why did this have to happen?" she asked nobody in particular. She pulled her hands to her face, resting her elbows on her knees. Tears began to flow once again as memories flashed back into her mind.

_Who knew we had a doctor in the house? Thanks..._

_Time for me to do what I do best. Try not to be jealous._

_So...we _are_ friends?_

_I'm sorry that...he broke your heart..._

_British engineering, love!_

_Maybe you should call me Beast_Man_..._

Raven didn't know she fell asleep until she found herself waking up the next morning, the sun shining brightly into her eyes.

"When did I...?" she asked herself. Reaching up to rub her eyes of sleep, she felt the dried-on paths of tears, and memories of the night before came rushing back. A feeling of dread sank into her heart. As she rose out of bed, she grabbed her stomach, which had begun to form knots under her stress. She quickly changed into a clean outfit and slowly made her way towards the Ops room. As she passed through the halls, she remembered the attack Adonis had performed and shivered slightly as she walked. She continued on silently, only the sounds of her footsteps filling the halls. Rounding a corner, she came to the Ops room's door. It opened with a quiet hiss, revealing a quiet room with the three other Titans sitting about. Cyborg looked up at her, a dark circle under his eye, and waved causally. She nodded in response. Starfire sat at the table across from Robin, eyes locked on her folded hands, bouncing her leg nervously. Robin nodded to her, but then went back to absent-mindedly staring at his now cold coffee. She sighed, making her way over to her tea kettle. She filled it with water and placed it over the stove. She looked around the room once again, hoping for someone to say silence was beginning to make her feel antsy.

"Has he gotten any better?" she asked, voice cutting through the loud silence.

"He has, but he's still in bad shape" Cyborg said, not looking up at her. "He won't be able to transform for a while, though. Not until he's at one-hundred percent." She nodded in understanding, even though he wasn't looking.

"Can I...go see him?" she asked. He nodded. Just then, her kettle began to whistle, and she poured the water into a cup along with tea leaves. She began walking out the door when a voice stopped her.

"Raven, it's not your fault" Robin said, the first thing he'd said all morning. She sighed, but continued walking.

_I know they keep saying it's not, but I still feel responsible..._she thought to herself. Shortly, she found herself outside the med-bay door. Nervously, she reached for the handle, pausing for a moment before opening it. She stepped inside to see a green body lying in the table. His breathing has even, and a faint snoring could be heard. She almost smiled at how peaceful he looked, before she gazed down to his chest, seeing the knotted red scar tissue that had begun to form.a single tear ran down her face, and she had to look away.

"Garfield...I'm sorry. If I knew this was going to happen...I wouldn't have frozen like that. I could have taken action sooner. But I froze up, like child. I could have prevented this...but I didn't. I'm sorry..." she said, openly crying now. Beastboy began to stir on the bed, grabbing Raven's attention. "Gar?" Slowly, his eyes fluttered open, and he looked up to Raven.

"Rae? How ya doin', mamma?" he paused, looking around, noticing he wasn't in his own room. "What am I doing in here?" he asked.

"You...don't remember?" he shook his head. Trying to sit up, he shouted in pain. Raven jumped to his side, slowly lowering him back down.

"Geez, what happened? The last thing I remember is...this guy holding a gun to you...then, nothing." Raven looked up to him, hesitation in her eyes. "Rae, what happened?"

"You were shot" she said, voice shaking. "You changed into the Beast and jumped in front of the gun. You saved me, Garfield."

"Saved you? I'm sure I was just trying to get out of the way..." he said with a smile. Raven glared at him.

"Do you really think this is the time to be joking around?!" she shouted. "We almost lost you,and it's just a joke to you!?" A small jar across the room exploded.

"Raven, calm down" he said, sitting up slowly.

"NO! I will not calm down! How do you think it would make me feel if you died?! Do you know what that'd do to me?"

"Look, I was just trying to lighten the mood...no need to get all moody with me..."

"Garfield, I am not moody. You, my best friend, almost _died_ and you're cracking jokes! How can I _not_ get mad at you?! Can't you for once take something seriously? I almost lost you!"

"Look, Raven, not all of us can be completely emotionless!" he shouted, wincing in pain. "We get hurt all of the time! Why are you taking this so seriously?!"

"Because I love you!" Both Titan's eyes widened as Raven's hand flew up to cover her mouth. The room was cast into silence.

"You...you love me?" he asked quietly. She nodded, hand still covering her mouth.

"Yes..." she whispered in a tiny voice. "I think I do..." The room grew quiet, and Raven's cheeks flushed red. She was flustered and embarrassed from her emotional reveal. The two sat silently for a moment or two, before Beastboy broke the silence.

"Rae, even though I don't remember doing it, I do know _why_ I jumped in front of that gun. We've been getting a lot closer over the past year and...I've had feelings coming up too." His cheeks began to flush. "When I'm around you, Rae, even though we don't always get along, I feel happy. Like we go together. When I saw that guy...I knew I couldn't let him take you away...because...I love you too."

"You do?" she asked shyly. He smiled to her.

"Yeah, Rae. I do." He took her hand in his. "Now, can you help me outta here? I'm starving!" Raven rolled her eyes as she helped him stand up, standing beneath his arm to support him. They walked slowly, cautiously making their way to the Ops Room.

Robin sat at the table, still sipping at his cold coffee now and then, barely registering the temperature. Starfire'd taken to glancing at him now and then. Just as Cyborg opened his mouth to talk, the doors hissed open, revealing the changeling and empath slowly coming into the room. Starfire immediately lit up, zooming towards the two.

"Friend! You are alright!" she shouted, wrapping her arms surprisingly softly around Beastboy into a gentle hug. He returned it with the arm he didn't have around Raven's shoulder.

"Hey, Star. How ya holdin' up?"

"Much better now! I was beginning to go into this _really_ dark depression, but seeing you...alive...has lifted my spirits greatly!" she shouted with excitement. Cyborg was the next to greet them.

"Hey, man. It's about time you woke up! We're used to you sleepin' in late, but this is a bit much to go through for a few more hours, ain't it?" he asked with a smile.

"Well, you know me, Cy. I'll do anything to get a nap" he said, making the older Titan laugh.

"Good to have you back, Grass Stain" Cyborg said, hugging his best friend softly. Beastboy looked over to Robin, who looked back with a strange expression. He knew why he was looking at him like that, so he carefully made his way over to him on his own.

"Rob?" He looked away. "Rob, I know what happened with...but look. I'm okay" he said with a small smile. Robin turned to him, putting a hand on his shoulder.

"Welcome back, Beastboy" he said, a grin tugging on his lips.

The Titans threw a small party for just the five of them. The music was loud, the food was good, Beastboy even convinced Cyborg to try a tofu-dog. As the day wore on, Raven told the team exactly what happened the day before. While at first, they were shocked about what happened to the man, they understood it was either his life, or hers. The day soon turned into night, and Cyborg was the first to turn in. Starfire left next, followed closely by Robin. This left the changeling and the empath alone once again. The two made their way to the couch, looking out the massive window at the stars. Raven held out a hand, one Beastboy was more than happy to hold onto. He looked at her with a smile, but it faded as he saw the look on her face. It was one of concentration, like she had something on her mind.

"Rae? You alright?" he asked worriedly. She nodded, then looked to the floor.

"Beast- Garfield, I just...wanted to thank you. Thank you for saving my life." She looked up to him, tears in her eyes. "If it weren't for you, I wouldn't be here right now."

"Raven, you have nothing to thank me for. If it wasn't for _you_, _I_ wouldn't be here either. Call it even?" he asked, wiping a tear from her face. She smiled to him. The two leaned forward, their foreheads touching.

"But it's not only for yesterday..." she whispered. "Every day you always do things to try to get me involved with the team, in group activities, and get me out of my room. If it weren't for you, I'd still be the same person I was when he started this team. I'd be...alone." He squeezed her hand reassuringly.

"Anything for you, mamma" he said. She smiled fully. Slowly, and unsurely, she brought her lips closer to his. He followed, heart pounding inside his chest. Their lips met in a brief, innocent kiss. But a kiss, nonetheless, that held so much more. As they separated, a blush came to both Titans' faces.

Time went on regularly for the Titans, besides Beastboy missing from most missions. The two had openly shared their relationship with their fellow teammates, who were shocked at first, besides Starfire, but had quickly gotten used to the idea. Within a month, Beastboy (thanks to his animal powers combined with regular healing sessions) was back to shapeshifting, and was soon back to missions. The Titans had risen again from yet another tragedy, and continued to be ready for more.

**Hope you all like it! Leave a comment and tell me what you think.**


End file.
